The first step in constructing your RECESS is to consider how much of your original swimming pool will be excavated, and much will be reused. Reusing as much of the original structure will save you time and money. Whenever possible, excavation and construction efforts should be done by hand, and without disclosing your plan to neighbors, friends, or the local municipality.
Design at this stage is critical. The fundamental design principle is concealment. The end result needs to both hide the RECESS and erase any trace of the yard's former configuration (that might echo the pool).
My situation was ideal for re-use. The pool was a sand-bottom structure with a vinyl liner, and 4 courses of vertical block. I planned to dig out and square-off the deep end of the pool for the foundation, and abut the new block walls against 2 of the existing walls. The original plumbing could be used to carry city water deep into the RECESS or re-purposed as conduit.
Design at this stage is critical. The fundamental design principle is concealment. The end result needs to both hide the RECESS and erase any trace of the yard's former configuration (that might echo the pool).
My situation was ideal for re-use. The pool was a sand-bottom structure with a vinyl liner, and 4 courses of vertical block. I planned to dig out and square-off the deep end of the pool for the foundation, and abut the new block walls against 2 of the existing walls. The original plumbing could be used to carry city water deep into the RECESS or re-purposed as conduit.
